Hub cap attachment



Dec. 30, 1941.

A. CANDELLERO HUB GAP ATTACHMENT Filed Oct. 4, 1938 Fig.2

OLD ART Inventor- A AeL 011 Com :AeLLemo Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Adelchi Candellero, Turin, Italy Application October 4, 1938, Serial No. 233,185 In Italy October 9, 1937 3 Claims. (01. 301-408) Hub caps of a large diameter with respect to the wheel diameter are presently employed on motor vehicle wheels. One of the methods of attaching said caps consists in cutting or providing, for example at three points situated on the outside of the wheel web at 120 to each other and equally spaced from the wheel axis, three practically rigid outwardly projecting tongues, of which the linear edges are on a circumference of a diameter slightly exceeding the inner diameter of the cap edge. While the tongues are substantially rigid, the cap should oifer a certain resiliency to permit deformation of the cap as this is brought against the tongues, especially when, after having engaged two tongues under the edge, the cap is brought against the third tongue. This resiliency should be sufiicient to permit deformation of the cap under a reasonable effort, in such manner that the cap comes with its edge behind the projection represented by the third tongue and promptly resumes its form by effect of which it is permanently held with its edge behind the wheel tongues. The same occurs on disassembly, which is performed by applying to the cap an oppositely directed force.

Withthe constructions known heretofore the cap edge was made of a circular or other closed section, which conferred to the cap a considerable rigidity. It was possible to admit in said constructions an allowance generally not over T36 mm. in the size of the internal diameter of the edge, which could be sufiicient as long as the cups were made of brass or other highly resilient material.

However, a less expensive material is now required for making hub caps, more particularly iron which, having a much lower elongation and being much more rigid, admits a maximum allowance of mm. for the internal diameter of the cap edge. Only with these low allowances is it possible to manufacture hub caps with an inner diameter smaller than that of the circumference extending through the edges of the three wheel tongues by such a small extent as to permit assembly and disassembly without an excessive efeliminate the above mentioned drawbacks, said caps being obtained by a method of manufacture which is easy and inexpensive, practically without waste and within the above mentioned minimum allowances.

The cap according to this invention is characterized by the fact that its edge, instead of being of a closed section, is of an open curvilinear section, which makes the edge more resilient, its end edge being bent over with more or less overlap according to the greater or smaller resiliency required of the cap. Although the edge described is bent to the outside, it may, alternatively, be bent to the inside of the groove in the cap edge.

Only with this construction is it possible to employ manufacturing tools that directly ram against the die the metal adapted to form the groove in the edge where an internal diameter accurate in size with minimum allowances as mentioned above should be obtained.

On account of the open section of the edge and its consequently increased resiliency, even iron caps with allowances over r 6 mm. may be used without any trouble in assembly or disassembly, which was heretofore impossible. Manufacture may be made by stamping or punching up on a metallic die.

The present system further avoids the drawback ascertained in the use of previous caps, that is the easy deformation of the tongues as a consequence of the effort required for causing the fort and at the same time a safe hold on the cap to snap into its proper position on assembly. This advantage is a consequence of the increased resiliency of the cap edge.

The material best suited for receiving a galvanic deposit may be employed for making the cap or the presence of the sharp marginal edge may be utilised for applying to the cap made with an inexpensive material, but unsuitable for galvanic deposition thereon, a thin sheet of a material apt to receive a coating, for instance brass, which is folded over the sharp edge.

In commercial production it may be convenient according to this invention to form the tongues in a ring attached to the Wheel web. In this manner the precision work required for fitting the three independent tongues in the case of attached tongues is avoided and the wheel web is This invention relates to hub caps which fully not weakened as in the case of tongues cut in the web.

According to a preferred embodiment the tongues are obtained by punching up the rib of a ring of Z-shaped section pressed from sheet metal. V

The form and details of a the cap, but for the edge, may be varied at will without departing from my invention.

The accompanying drawing shows, merely by way of example and diagrammatically, some hub cap constructions which may be fixed simply by elastic deformation, embodying the present improvements and, for the purpose of comparison, a cap of this type manufactured with the systems known heretofore.

Figure 1 is a front view of the central portion of the wheel with three tongues at 120 to one I another for fixing the cap.

Figure 2 is a partial section showing a cap of a known construction, mounted on the wheel.

Figure 3 is a similar section showing a cap improved according to this invention.

Figure 4 is a partial radial section taken on line 44 of Fig. 5 and showing a wheel with the tongues provided on a separately attached ring,

and i Figure 5 is a plan View of the embodiment of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, 1 denotes the wheel and 2 the tongues. 3 denotes the hub cap.

In previous constructions, the edge 4 of the cap was of a circular or other closed section, with its edge 4 generally situated at the inside. With this construction the tool adapted to form the capedge could not act directly on the metal adapted to form the internal portion of the edge for pressing it against a die; consequently, the internal diameter of the cap, measured at its edge, could not be obtained with the high accuracy required for satisfactory commercial manufacture and easy assembly of the caps when these are made of iron. As shown in Figure 3, according to'this invention the edge 4a is of a curved section open outwardly, that may be acted upon by the tool for pressing the material against the die, warranting the high accuracy required of iron caps.

The edge 4a is then bent against the groove 4a to form a sharper or flatter edge construction according to the desired degree of resiliency of the cap.

In the modification shown in Figures 4 and 5,

the wheel web I2 has fixed thereto by welding or in another suitable manner a ring l3 of an Z-shaped section. The web of ring l3 has short outer radial ribs l4 that are punched up, said ribs acting as tongues for the hub cap l5. The attachment flange of the ring is cut at th'ese tongues so as to leave a larger free space behind the latter. The V-shape of the radial section of the tongues forms an inclination which facilitates assembly and disassembly of the hub cap.

I claim:

1. A disc wheel comp-rising a web, a hub cap made of metal, an annular member connected to the outer face of said web forming a cap support, cap engaging members including said wheel web and a plurality of detents extending in approximately radial direction on said annular member for snap engagement with" said cap, a circular flange at the periphery of said cap, said flange consisting of an inturned U-shaped portion engaging said detents and an oppositely curved web engaging bead portion, the section of said flange located between said cap engaging members having approximately the shape of an S.

2. A disc wheel comprising a web, a hub cap made of metal, cap engaging members on the outer face of said web for snap engagement with the same, a circular flange at the periphery of said cap, said flange consisting of an inturned U-shaped portion and an oppositely curved web engaging bead portion, the section of said flange located between the said cap engaging members approximatel having the shape of an S.

3. A disc wheel comprising a web, a hub cap made of metal, cap engaging members including said web and a plurality of tongues projecting from said web for snap engagement with said cap a circular flange at the periphery of said cap, said flange consisting of an inturned U- shaped portion and an oppositely curved web engaging bead portion, the section of said flange located between said cap engaging members having approximately the shape of an S.

ADELCHI CANDELLERO. 

